# ChineseSkill vs MandarinUp

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MandarinUp at none against ChineseSkill's 10. ChineseSkill's advantage is ratings volume (15K vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ChineseSkill sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. MandarinUp asks for nothing beyond the download.

MandarinUp holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ChineseSkill has 15K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

ChineseSkill ships an update every 5 days, MandarinUp every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChineseSkill | MandarinUp |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chineseskill-learn-chinese/id777111034/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mandarinup/id6450726094/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **15K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 89.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 360 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [YIYAN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/938083469) | [Mykhailo Osekretov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1601035195) |

## What reviewers say

### ChineseSkill

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chineseskill-learn-chinese/id777111034)

Master Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and Hokkien with this comprehensive learning app. Featuring game-based lessons, speech recognition, and structured courses, it takes you from beginner to conversational fluency. Learn characters, tones, and practical language skills for travel, study, or cultural understanding.

**Highlights:** Game-based learning lessons, Bite-sized curriculum, Speech recognition for pronunciation, Handwriting practice, Immersive real-life conversations, Personalized study paths, Offline accessibility

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $11.99 | per month |
| Monthly premium subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Full Access (1 month) | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium (Annual) | $59.99 | per year |
| Annual Chinese Learning Plan | $79.99 | per year |
| Full Access (1 Year) | $79.99 | per year |
| Full Access (1 Year) | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium+ (Annual) | $99.99 | per year |
| Lifetime membership | $159.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime membership | $399.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for learning Chinese
- 🚀 Comprehensive and effective learning approach
- 💡 Helpful explanations and grammar notes
- 👍 Engaging and fun learning experience
- 👍 Versatile features (pinyin, characters, writing practice)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
- 🔒 Concerns about subscription cancellation and account issues
- 💰 Paid subscription required to access all features
- 🤔 Some lessons feel repetitive or lack progression
- 💬 Desire for more audio/speech practice features

**Reported bugs**

- Issues with syncing progress across devices
- Screen elements getting cut off on iPhone X
- Inconsistencies in lesson content and translations

**Requested features**

- Add more male voice options
- Improve lesson navigation and progress tracking
- Introduce gamification elements for motivation
- Provide more flexibility in disabling English translations


### MandarinUp

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mandarinup/id6450726094)

Learn Chinese through daily typing practice, leveraging modern technology to avoid memorizing complex characters. This app offers a flexible way to study anytime, anywhere, even offline, fitting into a busy schedule.

**Highlights:** Learn Chinese by typing, Avoid character memorization, Practice anytime, anywhere, Fully functional offline, Modern technology approach

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ChineseSkill free?

ChineseSkill is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MandarinUp free?

MandarinUp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ChineseSkill or MandarinUp?

MandarinUp is rated higher. ChineseSkill averages 4.8 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while MandarinUp averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do ChineseSkill or MandarinUp have ads?

Neither ChineseSkill nor MandarinUp shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ChineseSkill or MandarinUp?

ChineseSkill ships an update every 5 days, and MandarinUp every 4 weeks. Most recently, ChineseSkill was updated on November 6, 2026 and MandarinUp on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*